When Ed Keenan visited the other day, he mentioned that The Toronto Star listed "25 greatest Toronto songs" recently. Here's their list.
25. ‘YYZ’- Rush, 1981
24. ‘BaKardi Slang’ - Kardinal Offishall, 2001
23. ‘The Old Apartment’ - Barenaked Ladies, 1996
22. ‘Toronto Tontos’ - Max Webster, 1976
21. ‘Parkdale’ - Metric, 2001
20. ‘416/905 (T.O. Party Anthem)’ - Maestro Fresh Wes, featuring Latoya & Miranda, 1998
19. ‘Raised on Robbery’ - Joni Mitchell, 1974
18. ‘Kitchen’ - Charlotte Cornfield, 2026
17. ‘King City’ - Majid Jordan, 2016
16. ‘House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls’ - The Weeknd, 2011
15. ‘On Yonge Street’ - Gordon Lightfoot, 1998
14. ‘Queen St. W’ - Jessie Reyez, 2022
13. ‘Mississauga Goddam’ - The Hidden Cameras, 2004
12. ‘Somethin’ 4 Da Streets’ - Saukrates, 2003
11. ‘DVP’ - PUP, 2016
10. ‘Ambulance Blues’ - Neil Young, 1974
9. ‘IVIVI’ - Lilly Singh and Humble the Poet, 2016
8. ‘Toronto 2014’ - Daniel Caesar and Mustafa, 2023
7. ‘Skyline’ - Cadence Weapon, 2021
6. ‘Echo Beach’ - Martha and the Muffins, 1980
5. ‘Know Yourself’ - Drake, 2015
4. ‘Western Skies’ - Blue Rodeo, 1992
3. ‘Let’s Go’ - The Beaches, 2021
2. ‘Stay Alive’ - Mustafa, 2021
1. ‘Crabbuckit’ - k-os, 2005
Ed joked with me that The Shuffle Demons' Spadina Bus and Pukka Orchestra's Cherry Beach Express were missing, but added the caveat that he's a middle aged white guy. I am also a middle aged white guy, and I'd have had both songs on my list, although it's entirely possible the Star was seeking positive songs about Toronto and that great Pukka Orchestra song is a about homophobic TPS brutality.
20 years ago, I wrote about my favourite songs that reference a Canadian place, and just last year I recorded an episode of Toronto Mike'd about songs that mention Toronto, but I don't think I've ever written about my favourite Toronto songs.
On Canada Day in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Michael Barclay visited to kick out 10 Toronto jams. I highly recommend that episode, the only one ever recorded with a guest who brought their own microphone.
I was taken aback by how many of The Toronto Star's top 25 I didn't know, so I have some catching up to do. And that fabulous k-os song at #1 never once struck me as a Toronto jam. But at least Ambulance Blues and Echo Beach made the list.
Poor Shuffle Demons...
